Manuel Nieto

Manuel Nieto (1734-1804) was a Spanish soldier who held land in California during the 1780s.

Biography
Manuel Nieto was born in Sinaloa, Mexico in 1734 to a mulatto family, and he came to California with fellow Spanish Army soldier Gaspar de Portola in 1769. He served in the royal army in Alta California and became a soldier of the Presidio of Monterey in 1773, raising cattle for food and to make a small profit. In 1784, he was granted 300,000 acres of land for his cattle, which became the Rancho Los Nietos. Upon his death, his rancho was inherited by his family.